This invention relates generally to a graphical user interface to control a computer system. More particularly, it relates to changing appropriate objects within the graphical user interface in response to a request to change a font on one of the objects.
It is well known to provide a graphical user interface to allow a user to control a computer system and to present the results of user actions on the system display. In a graphical user interface, applications and data files are generally presented within windows. Each window typically has a number of elements which are associated with the window and are presented in the display space allocated to the window. The window and each of its separate elements are generally structured and stored in memory as objects which are related logically. The elements of the window are generally child objects of the main window object.
In newer graphical user interfaces, it is possible for a user to select the font by which the information is displayed if the standard font is not pleasing to the user. Typically, after the selection of the new font, the window is refreshed to display the new font, but is not changed in any other way. If the font was a larger font, it is often clipped or unreadable due to the element within the graphical user interface being too small to display it properly. If a smaller font was selected, then the window display space is wasted. Furthermore, the GUI looks awkward and malproportioned. Further, when a font is selected for one object in the graphical user interface, the font is typically changed only for the immediate object. When that object is a child object of the main window or another parent object within the window, sibling objects of the object receiving the font will not receive the new font even when it makes sense that they should.
This invention solves the problems of prior art graphical user interfaces.